Feeding mechanism for paper machines



Aug.

C. BUTTERFIELD FEEDING MECHANISM FOR PAPER MACHINES Filed March 23, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 NVENTOR Aug. 12 1924. V 1,504,541

- c: BUTTERFIELD FEEDING MECHANISM FOR PAPER MACHINES Filed March 23, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 1 1 N (7mm) TOR/VEY Patented Aug f2, 1924-.

marmastares PATENT OFFICE.

onaanns no rrnarrnnn, or MIDDLETOWN, onro, essrenon To THE INTERSTATE i ronnnm BOX corrrany, on mrnnnnrown, OHIO.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR PAPER MACHINES.

Application filed March as, 1922. Serial No. 546,046.

T (M whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES BUTTER- FIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing in Middletown, in the county of Butler and State of Ohio, have invented certain'new Cir and useful Improvements in Feeding Mechanism for Paper Machines or the like, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

v This invention relates to paper sheet feeding mechanism having particular reference to a feeding mechanism adapted to be used as a unit or an attachment in connection with an automatic apparatus for making paper products, as folding boxes, and the like, from paper sheets or blanks of required size and shapes, in the making of which it is essential to the automatic requirements of the apparatus that delivery of the individual sheets be timed or synchro nized with other units of the mechanism.

The principle of my invention is also applicable to paper sheet handling machinery generally, as printing presses, paper sheet folding machines of various kinds, paper embossing machines, etc., in which it is essential, or desirable to have the delivery of the individual sheets by the feeding mechanism synchronized with other liechani'sms of the apparatus.

A feature of the present invention is to provide foradjustments of the feeder meehanism for various timing of the sheet delivery action and forvariable sizes of sheets of paper and otherwise to adapt the feed ing mechanism as a whole to the conditions of operation and of the paper stock to effect control and regulate production of the automatic paper handling apparatus.

For the purposes of illustration, the inn proved feeding mechanism is shown in a preferred construction in the accompanying drawings, and is claimed specifically as to the form of construction illustrated, and more broadly as to the principles of the invention, in the appended claims.

In the drawings: I i

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the feeding mechanism;

Fig. 2 isa plan view;

Fig. 3is a detail view of the step-by-step pick-up mechanism, and I Fig; 4 is a detail View of the automatic stop and aligning mechanism for the paper blanks.

As illustratedin the drawings, the feeding mechanism is shown as applied to the first unit of rollers -A and B of an automatic paper folding box making a paratL1s,-tlie base frame -G also being an extensioirof the main frame of the machine as a whole, and serving, as here shown, to support the frame 1 of the feeder mlechanism. The feeding mechanism consists of an, inclined table 2 upon which the paper sheets are adapted to be stacked; pick-up rollers -i and 4 automatically, remove the paper sheets singly from table 2 to intermediate rollers --5 and 6, which are operatively connected one to the other by equal spur gears 5, and -6 the sheets: being then moved by a series of carrier belts -7 to delivery rollers -8 and 9, and thence tothe first unit of folding rollers A and -15. Intermediate the feed table 2 and pickup rollers 3 and 4:is a series of inclined guides 10, -the guides being adjustable as to the angle of their inclination by a corresponding series of hand tension devices -l1,-thus to cause the free end of guides -1O to engage yieldingly with the peripheries of rollers 3,-the guide mechanisms being supported on upwardly ext-ended brackets '12 fastened to a transverse shaft --13 supported in the opposite frames 1,. The angle of table -2 is regulated by means of a latch mechanism -2 and -2. Rollers 3 and 4 are preferably rubber-tired, or otherwise provided with resilient peripheralsurfaces,thus to cause effective pichup action of the paper sheets from table -2,this feature of the rollers taken together with the inclination of the table and angular guides 10 being well known common practice. r v.

Carrier belts +7 in their upper course of travel traverse a series of rollers-14E, the ends of the rollersbeing supported in the oppositeframes --1,and a belt tightener -15 being applied to each of the belts in its lower course oftravel to maintain the belts atproper tension;the belttighteners being pivoted on a shaft -1 6 supported in opposite frames 1 A series of longitudinal guides 17, supported ontransverse rods -18, are. arranged above and parallel with belts to hold the paper sheets incontact with the belts as the same are carried thereby to delivery rollers 8 and 9,-

rods 18 being supported in brackets 19 extended upwardly from' frames 1, and the guides being adjustable laterally by means of slip bearings 20Vto adapt the spacing of the same to paper-sheets of variable widths. v I V V An intermittent, step by-step movement is transmitted to pick-up roller -.3 by

" means of an actuating mechanism comprls- 'ing a pitman '21 connected at one end, as

' step-by-step movement,synchronized; with theend of a shaft '3O towhich'picleup rollers 8. are attached,thelower pickup rollers being attached to a shaft -31. .Thus the upper pick-up rollers are dr ven positively by the' 'pitman connect on in a V I the movement of adjustment of the pitman connection 23,-the lower pick-up rollers &i'being driven by frictional engagement with the upper rollers 3. Roller units A and 'B are 1n opera- I tive relation one with the other by means of equal gears a and b, the lower gear -b acting as a driver for the carrier belts 7 and delivery rollers8 and 9,-the driving movement being transmitted to belt roller "32 through an intermediate gear being attached to belt roller 32; and to rollers 8 and 9 through gear trains 33 345' -87 and 38,-gear 37' being attached to roller 8 and'g'ear 38 to roller -9, the' gear ratios of' the carrier belt driving mechanism being such as will effect the proper advance of the sheets of paper to the delivery end of the feedermecha- I nism, and of the driving .mechanism forv I rollers 8 and -9 to effect proper timing of the sheets as delivered to the movement ofrollers A and B. r I I As is best shown in detail Fig. 4,the sheet delivery actionof rollers '-8 and '9 further controlled relative to the movement of rollers A and, B by a mechanism comprlsing cams '37 attached to the opposlte ends of shaft -38 upon which rollers 'A are supported,each cam comprising two adjacent cam discs arranged face to face in contact one with the other,

and having equal peripheral depressions 39,the discs being adjustable rotatably relative to each other to vary the length of the coinciding portions of depressions -39 of the opposite discs. Rol1er-8 is operatively connected to cams 37 by means of opposite arms -40 having extension arms 4-1 secured thereto by means of clamp bearings 42 in which the opposite ends of roller 8 are supported,thus

causing arms a) and i1 to act as one on pivot centers 43 under tension of springs i4-, and roller 8 to be lifted sufficiently to free the paper between rollers 8 and 9 as cam rollers 4-5 at the opposite ends of levers 40 are moved by the action of springs 44i into the cam depressions 39,it being understood from the arrangement illustrated, that roller 8 will be held in positive feeding relation with roller 9 by the cam discs 37 except during the interval at each full rotation of the cams that cam rollers 4c5 are in engagement with cam depressions 39.

A transverse paper guide 46 is arranged adjacent rollers 8 and -9 and a series of automatic stops -i7, operable through apertures 4 8 in guide i6, and attached to a rock shaft 49, cooperate with the guide to stop the movement of the paper sheet between rollers 8 and 9 when roller 8 is in raised position and also to align the sheet as it is moved against the stops,-movement of the stops being efiect-- ed and regulated with the rollers -A and -B by an adjustable connection between arms 40 and shaft 4i.9 consisting of arms 50 attached to the shaft and adjustable links, or shafts 5l. connecting arms 50 to downwardly extended arms 52 of arms 40.

From the described arrangement, it will be observed that stops -47 willbe in raised position to engage the paper sheet when it is between rollers 8 and 9, during the interval roller -8 is in raised position;-

the sheet being then free on carrier belts 7, and that the paper sheet will thus be brought to position, properly aligned, and timed to the movement of rollers A and B, and that positive delivery of the sheet will be made upon return of roller 8 to feeding relation with roller 9.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A paperfeeding mechanism, including in combination with a main machine, a 1on gitudinal frame connecting at one end with said main machine, an inclined table arranged at the opposite end of said frame to receive paper sheets in quantities, pick-up mechanism operable intermittently through connections with said main machine and adapted to deliver the paper sheets singly from said table, paper feeding mechanism arranged at the opposite ends of said frame coacting with a paper carrier operable between said opposite paper feeding mecha nisms, means for interrupting the effective operation of the feeding mechanism adjacent said main machine, and other means for stopping the paper on the paper carrier during said period of interruption, whereby the paper is delivered from said table in single sheets to said main machine.

2. A paper feeding mechanism, including in combination with a main machine, a longitudinal frame connecting at one end with said main machine, an inclined table arranged at the opposite end of said frame to receive paper sheets in quantities, pick-up mechanism operable intermittently through connections with said main machine and adapted to deliver the paper sheets singly fro-m said table, paper feeding mechanism ar ranged at the opopsite ends of said frame coacting with a paper carrier operable between said opposite paper feeding mechanisms, means timed with the operation of the main machine for interrupting the effective operation of the feeding mechanism ad jacent said main machine, whereby the paper is delivered from said table in single sheets to said main machine.

3. A paper sheet feeding mechanism, including in combination with a main machine, a support for the paper, pick-up mechanism cooperating with said. support to deliver the paper sheets singly therefrom, sheet delivery mechanism cooperating with said pick-up mechanism comprising a sheet carrier, separable rollers and aligning stops for the paper sheets as the same are delivered between said rollers, said rollers and stops being operable synchronously with the main machine to present the paper sheets thereto aligned and timed to the movement thereof.

4. A paper sheet feeding mechanism, including in combination with a main machine, a support for the paper, pick-up mechanism cooperating with said support to deliver the paper sheets singly therefrom, sheet delivery mechanism cooperating with said pick-up mechanism comprising a sheet carrier, separable rollers,means to move one of said rollers out of operative relation with the paper, step-by-step pick-up mechanism cooperating with said support to deliver the paper sheets singly therefrom, intermittently-operable sheet delivery mechanism spaced from said pick-up mechanism, and constantly-operable sheet carrier mechanism operable between said pick-up and delivery mechanisms, all of said mechanisms being coordinated operatively one with the other, and mechanism coacting with said mechanisms and synchronized operatively therewith to receive the paper sheets therefrom.

6. A paper sheet feeding mechanism, including in combination with a support for the paper, step-by-step pick-up mechanism cooperating with said support to deliver the paper sheets singly therefrom, intermittently-operable sheet delivery mechanism spaced from said pick-up mechanism, and constantly-operable sheet carrier mechanism operable between said pick-up and delivery mechanisms, all of said mechanisms being coordinated operatively one with the other, and mechanisms comprising driving connections for the pick-up mechanism, and other driving connections for said carrier and delivery mechanisms, and having operative movement synchronized with the movement and delivery of the paper sheets thereto by said coordinated mechanisms.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

CHARLES BUTTERFIELD. 

